Why Word Prints Comments in Margin Despite Disabling Markup Display

You set your document to print without markup, yet comments still appear in the right margin on the printed page. This problem occurs because the print setting that controls markup display is separate from the on-screen view setting in Word. Many users disable markup in the Review tab and assume the printout will match the clean screen view. This article explains why comments print even when markup display is turned off and provides the exact steps to stop them from appearing on paper.

Why Word Prints Comments Even When Markup Display Is Off

Word provides two separate controls for markup: one controls what you see on the screen, and the other controls what gets sent to the printer. The on-screen setting is located in the Review tab under Show Markup or in the Display for Review dropdown. When you set Display for Review to No Markup or Original, Word hides comments and tracked changes from the screen view. However, this setting does not affect the printout unless you also change the print-specific option.

The print option that controls markup is called Print Markup. It appears in the Print dialog under Settings. By default, this option is enabled. When it is enabled, Word includes all markup — comments, tracked changes, ink annotations — in the printed output regardless of the on-screen view setting. This design exists so that reviewers can print a document with markup for offline review even when they prefer a clean screen view.

A second cause involves the Print hidden text option in Word Options. Some comment formatting, especially comments inserted as hidden text or comments that appear because of specific printer driver behavior, can slip through even when Print Markup is disabled. Checking this setting ensures that no hidden elements print.

Steps to Stop Comments From Printing in Word

Follow these steps to ensure comments do not appear in the printed document. The main fix is to disable Print Markup in the Print dialog. The secondary fix is to verify that hidden text printing is turned off.

Disable Print Markup in the Print Dialog

1. Open the Print dialog
   Press Ctrl+P to open the Print dialog. You can also go to File > Print.
2. Locate the Settings section
   Under Settings, look for the dropdown that currently reads Print All Pages or a similar option. Click it to expand the list.
3. Uncheck Print Markup
   At the bottom of the expanded list, find Print Markup. If a checkmark appears next to it, click the option to remove the checkmark. The dropdown will then show Print All Pages (without markup) or a similar text indicating markup is off.
4. Preview the document
   Look at the print preview on the right side of the Print dialog. Comments in balloons or inline should no longer appear. If they still show, proceed to the next section.
5. Print the document
   Click the Print button. The printed pages should now be free of comments.

Verify That Hidden Text Printing Is Disabled

1. Open Word Options
   Go to File > Options. In the Options dialog, click the Display category on the left.
2. Check Printing options
   In the section labeled Printing options, find Print hidden text. Ensure the checkbox is unchecked. If it is checked, click it to remove the checkmark.
3. Confirm and close
   Click OK to close the Options dialog. Repeat the print process to verify comments no longer print.

If Comments Still Print After Following the Fix

Comments Appear as Text Boxes or Shapes in the Document

If comments were converted to text boxes or shapes by a previous version of Word or by a third-party tool, the Print Markup setting will not affect them. Text boxes and shapes are part of the document content, not markup. To remove them, you must delete each text box manually or use the Selection Pane to select and delete them all. Go to Home > Select > Selection Pane, then select each text box and press Delete.

Comments Are Embedded as Hidden Text in the Main Body

Some export tools or collaboration workflows convert comments into hidden text in the document body. Hidden text prints when the Print hidden text option is enabled. If you have already disabled that option and comments still print, inspect the document for hidden text. Press Ctrl+A to select all, then right-click and choose Font. In the Font dialog, check if the Hidden checkbox is selected. If it is, clear it and reprint.

Printer Driver Overrides Word Settings

Some printer drivers have their own setting to print annotations or comments. This overrides Word’s Print Markup setting. Check your printer driver properties before printing. In the Print dialog, click Printer Properties or Preferences. Look for a tab labeled Effects, Advanced, or Document Options. Find any setting related to annotations or comments and disable it.

Print Markup Setting Behavior Differences

Item	Print Markup Enabled	Print Markup Disabled
Comments in balloons	Print in the margin	Do not print
Tracked changes	Print with strikethrough or underline	Print as final text only
Ink annotations	Print over the document	Do not print
On-screen Display for Review setting	No effect on printout	No effect on printout

The table shows that Print Markup is the sole control for printed comments. Changing the on-screen view in the Review tab has no impact on the printed page. Always verify the Print Markup checkbox in the Print dialog before printing documents with comments.

You can now prevent comments from printing by disabling Print Markup in the Print dialog and checking that hidden text printing is off. For documents that still show comments, inspect for text boxes or hidden text. As an advanced tip, create a printing macro that automatically disables Print Markup and hidden text printing before sending the document to the printer. This saves time when you frequently print clean copies of reviewed documents.